Improved rudder



@Luiten gisten gatmt @fitta JAMES o. PALMER, or NEW YORK, N. Y. Letters Patent No, 67,574, dated August 6, 1867.

IMPROVED RUDDER.

@its tlgehule referat in it that tettsts ntitt mit mating pat uf tte same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, J. C. PALMER, of New York, of New York county, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Rudders of Ships; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had' to the accompanying drawings, making part of this application.

It has always been found extremely ditlicult to effect the turning, in a sharp curve, of large vessels, and various devices in connection with ships rudders have been suggested witha view to cause the rudder to effect the sudden turning around of the ship, but nothing of which I-have any knowledge has .proved very effective toward the accomplishment of thisV desirable object. It is well known to those familiar with the management of ships that the rudder can only be of a certain width to be most effective, and that in the manipulation thereof its effectiveness is destroyed, and it is made to operate only as a drag, if it be turned too far, that is, too nearly toward a plane at right angles to a line running from the stern to the bow of the ship.

My invention has for its object to provide a ship with a rudder which may be, to all intents and purposes, of the most approved size and shape for the effective management of the ship under all ordinary circumstances, but which, at the same time, may be extended, or changed in size and shape, at the will of the person steering the ship, to render it more effective in suddenly turning the ship sharp around, and which sha-l1 be simple in its construction and as easily worked under all circumstances as the common rudder., Andto these ends my inventionconsists in an extension rudder, that is to say, a rudder so constructed that it may be made wider and narrower at the pleasure ofthe person steering the ship, as will be hereinafter' more fully described.

Tov enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand my invention, I will proceed to describe its construct-ion and operation, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of one-ot` my improved rudder-s.

lFigure 2 is a similar view, showing the rudder extended to its greatest capacity, and

Figure 3 is a cross-section at the line a: z, tig. 2.

In the several figures the same letters of reference designate the same parts ofthe apparatus.

A is the main portion of a rudder made about'in the' usual or generally approved model, but with a thin slab out away from its outer edge, as indicated by the dotted lines in figs. 1 and 2, to accommodate a strip, b, (see g. 3,) and with its sides eut away slightly, as seen at m m, iig. 3, to accommodate two metallic plates GC. These plates C C embrace between them, at their outer edges, the strip b, and together with said strip are connected to the main portion A of the rudder by means of link or bars d d d, which` latter, as shown, are pivoted atfff to the portion A., and at e e e to the movable or adjustable portion of the rudder, that is, that portion which is composed of the plates c c and strip b. The movable part of the rudder is provided at its upper end with a suitable eye or staple, h, to which is attached the lower end of the chain g, by means of which the said movable part of the rudder is drawn out. This chain g may pass up through a guide-ring, z', as shown, and thence up to the deck Aand be connected, if desired, with some suitableA device for taking it in and paying it out, as required. When the adjustable or movable portion of the rudder is down, in its normal condition, the general contour and size of the rudder are the same as of one usually employed, as shown at tig. l, but oy pulling up the chain g themovable portion may be drawn upward and outward into the position seen at figs. 2 and 3, whereby the width ot' the rudder will be increased about iitty per cent. or more. When the chain g is paid out or let loose the movable portion of the rudder will fall downward back into its normal position by its own gravity; It will be understood that by means ofthe chain g or its equivalent, the movable portion of the rudder may not only be suddenly drawnY out to increase the width of the rudder, but it'may be gradually moved, and may be alternately moved out and allowed to fall back at the will of the oparator, whereby the rudder may be extended and contracted in width during its evolutions or oscillations on its axis. And it will bc seen and understood that by means of such an extensible and contracting rudder the most desirable elects can be produced in the turning around and general guidance of the ship.f Of course any or all of the details of construction may be varied from those shown without departing from the spirit of my invention, the gist of which is in the idea of a rudder so constructed and operating that it can he slid out, or extended crosswise and contracted at pleasure, and it will he understood that this idea may be applied toevery variety or-form of rudder.

Having explained the construction and'opcration of my improved rudder so that one skilled in the art van make and use it, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v A rudder so constructed that it may be extended, in the manner andvfor the purpose substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 31st day of May, 1867.

JAS. C. PALMER. [1.. 8.]

Witnesses:

J; C. Mcnrmn, Cms. A. Scorr. 

